Cognitive disorders: what are they and what are their types?

This concept encompasses a wide variety of mental disorders that affect us in many ways.

The human mind can fail in different ways, and those alterations that affect cognition are especially serious.

In this article we will explain what a cognitive disorder is.which refers to an impairment of our normal brain functioning. We will also see a section to understand what are the cognitive functions, we will understand why these are so important when explaining the subject of the article and we will add a classification of the main types of cognitive disorders.

What is a cognitive disorder?

A cognitive disorder is a type of mental disorder that centrally affects our cognitive abilities.It is a disorder that affects the mind at different levels related to foresight, planning and finding solutions to problems. It is an alteration that affects the mind at different levels related to foresight, planning and the search for solutions to problems.

A cognitive mental disorder is considered to be a psychological disorder caused by a problem in the normal functioning of basic cognitive functions. Alterations in these basic cognitive functions generate problems in other more complex cognitive functions, as we will see below.

Cognitive functions

To better understand the alterations or dysfunctions that occur in cognitive disorder, it is appropriate to recognize the cognitive functions that may be involved. These are all those mental processes that enable us to carry out tasks.

We will now review the main basic brain functions and the main complex brain functions that are involved in a cognitive disorder.

Basic or primary cognitive functions

For our survival we have had to learn to perceive, select, process, manage and work with relevant information. The basic functions enable us to

1. Attention

This function allows the person to focus on the relevant information in a specific context or problem to be solved. The stimuli around us are infinite, and it is impossible to process all the available information. processing all the available information is impossible and useless. and useless.

2. Perception

It is through our senses that information reaches us. Perception is the function that works with internal and external stimuli, that is to say, the one that channels and makes us aware of all types of information. information that is produced in our body and in our environment..

Memory

This function allows us to organize the information that has been processed and learned. There are many types of memorybut we can say in general that memory organizes, archives and retrieves all kinds of data so that we can work with it.

4. Reasoning

It is the function responsible for logic, with implications in executive functions as important as problem solving or language.

Complex or higher cognitive functions

From the above basic functions derive other more complex ones that relate different areas of the brain for different areas of the brain to achieve them.. The following are the most important ones.

1. Orientation

Orientation has different axes of reference, since it is a cognitive function that takes into account space, timeThe relationship with oneself and the relationship with others.

2. Language

Language is the competence that enables an individual to to interpret logical and symbolic systems.

3. Praxical skills

These are those abilities related to organization, planning and efficient execution. This neurological process is the one that physical actions of all kinds, such as knowing how to dress or draw.such as knowing how to dress or draw.

4. Executive functions

In case of impaired executive functions the person's intentionality is greatly disturbed, since this function supervises all lower level cognitive functions such as the previous ones.This function supervises all cognitive functions of inferior levels like the previous ones.

5. Capacity of resolution of problems

It is actually a set of intelligences or abilities that allow solving complex problems of all kinds.

Types of cognitive disorders

Cognitive functions are essential to be able to lead a life without dysfunctionalities when performing daily tasks. when carrying out day-to-day tasks.

Thus, after seeing the main primary and secondary cognitive functions, it will be much easier to understand the different types of cognitive disorders that we are going to present below.

1. Direct cognitive disorders

We classify as direct cognitive disorders those which by their nature have a direct impact on the cognitive functions explained above.

Amnesia

Amnesia is a term that refers to the partial or complete loss of memory. It affects this basic brain function very specifically, preventing the individual from retrieving or retaining information already stored in his brain.

These information management processes occur through complex brain mechanisms such as encoding, storage and recall.

Dementia

When cognitive deficits occur as in dementia any of the brain functions can be affected. It highlights the impact that dementia has on memory, language, memory on memory, language, attention, behavioral control or inhibitionpraxias and executive functions or problem-solving ability.

Delirium or acute confusional syndrome

This refers to all those organic disorders, i.e., caused by a loss or abnormality of the structure or function of brain tissue, or both at the same time.

In this affectation can produce alterations at the level of consciousness, and complex cognitive functions. is characterized by being acute and with very global affectations, but it is also reversible.but it is also reversible.

For example, if delirium is caused by a brain tumor that presses the brain tissue and this is successfully removed without damaging the structure, the person returns to his or her normal state.

2. Anxiety disorders

In anxiety disorders there is a fear of a future threat. Our mind gives as anticipatory response an emotional disturbance, which can even lead to symptoms of anxiety.The anxiety disorder can even give rise to physical symptoms such as tachycardia or tremors.

The behaviors are generally avoidant, and can be continuous or episodic. There is a good variety of them affect our normal cognitive activity. Below we will see the most representative ones.

Phobias

Phobia is a psychological disorder characterized by a very intense and unjustified fear of animals, objects or specific situations.

They are a type of disorder that can give rise to experiences of extreme anxiety or panic to the person who suffers from it. There are different of them, and depending on which is the object of the fearDepending on the object of the fear, the person's life may be more or less affected.

For example, people suffering from social phobia may be seriously affected in their normal way of functioning in social situations such as parties or events.

Generalized anxiety disorder

In this type of disorder, generalized worry and anxiety about any everyday event is a very common occurrence. People who suffer from this disorder are constantly worried that things will go wrong..

Restlessness, difficulty concentrating, Muscle tension, sleep disturbances, irritability and fatigue are common manifestations associated with this disorder. Like other cognitive disorders, cognitive functions are subject to the mental state of the sufferer.

Post-traumatic stress disorder

Extreme events that may have been experienced can trigger post-traumatic stress. A war, a rape, a hurricane, an attack or a serious accident on the road can give rise to this type of mental affectation.

This disorder causes the person to feel stressed and afraid of reliving what has happened to them.. Memories of what happened and difficulty sleeping, feelings of loneliness and guilt, worry or sadness, and even explosions of anger appear, affecting the individual but also those around them.

4. Psychotic disorders

This type of disorders cause abnormal ideas and perceptions, causing the person to lose contact with reality. Delusions and hallucinations are the main symptoms..

Delusions are nothing more than false beliefs that maximize their impact on personal life, for example, that the neighborhood is against them or that someone in the newspaper is sending them secret messages. Hallucinations are false perceptions of reality, the person seems to hear, feel or see something that does not exist.

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a type of psychotic disorder characterized by the loss of judgment of reality accompanied by a great disorganization of the personality.

In schizophrenia, both positive and negative symptoms appear. The former include delusions, hallucinations and thought disorders, while the negative ones affect the lack of motivation, lack of emotion or alteration of it, and speech difficulties.

In addition, problems of decreased neurocognitive capacity appear in this cognitive disorder. Basic functions such as memory, attention, problem solving or social control are seriously affected.

Delusional disorders or paranoid psychosis.

This psychotic disorder it is characterized by the delirious ideas that the person has.. These are not as bizarre as in other disorders in the absence of other prominent psychopathology.

People who suffer from it do not meet the criteria for schizophrenia and lack hallucinations, or at least notoriously, as some may appear related to the subject of the delirium.

The sufferer of delusional disorder enjoys a sufficiently functional lifeHe/she only shows strange behavior in matters directly related to the delusional idea. Unfortunately, the patient's life may be increasingly affected by the weight and influence of his or her beliefs in other areas of his or her mental life.

3. Mood disorders

These cognitive disorders greatly affect the person who suffers from them because he/she is unable to lead a normal life due to his/her mood being very altered. Depression and bipolar disorder are presented as the most representative disorders of this type of disorders.

Depression

Depression is a mental illness characterized by a very acute alteration of the state where pathological sadness is the main symptom. This feeling is more intense and lasting than what we would understand as normal, and can cause great anxiety. can provoke a great anxiety. All together can appear without a justified cause.

It is a cognitive disorder because it produces a decrease in the ability to concentrate and think, and can promote negative ideas such as suicide. It can also generate isolation, agitation, lack of communication and even aggressive behavior (on oneself or others).

Bipolar disorder

This disease is characterized by episodes of euphoric from episodes with euphoric state to episodes with depressive state.. The patient's life events are not the cause of these behavioral changes.

Those suffering from bipolar disorder may also have psychotic symptoms, with varying degrees of severity. The most severe degrees of euphoria and depression can occur with great speed and intensity, making it very difficult for the individual to lead a normal life.

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